Editorial: Flag? What flag? Bring on the skimmers

ANY AND all oil skimmers, foreign or domestic, ought to be steaming
toward the Gulf of Mexico. Foreign boats aren't coming, though, because
of the Jones Act, a 1920s-era protectionist law that keeps
foreign-flagged vessels out of U.S. waters.

President Barack Obama should suspend the Jones Act so that any
available foreign boats can help combat the worst oil spill in American
history.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, had that in mind when she
introduced legislation last week that would provide for a temporary
waiver so foreign ships can help with the cleanup. Her proposal is
certainly welcome, but the president can accomplish the same thing more
quickly, especially when "time is of the essence," as the senator noted.

Now, under current law, foreign ships can request individual waivers to
enter and exit U.S. ports, but such requests must be reviewed by the
Departments of Defense and Energy, plus the Coast Guard, before customs
officials can grant them

That's way too cumbersome and time-consuming for a Gulf Coast awash in
oil.

The better choice would be to issue the kind of blanket waiver given by
President George W. Bush in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. Then, there
would be no obstacle standing in the way when offers of help come
streaming in to the State Department. (At least 19 countries and four
international organizations have offered aid thus far.)

The U.S. has said it will accept equipment from several countries. But
we cannot afford to tell anyone "thanks, but no thanks," as the
president did to the Dutch when they wanted to send ships in the days
after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded. Had those ships departed in
late April, they already would have spent weeks skimming the oil that is
now covering wetlands and wildlife across several states.

That's behind us now, of course. What's ahead is many more months of
cleanup work.

Throw open the gates, Mr. President, and let the foreign ships in to
help us.